


To the Ends of the Universe and Back

by Bubblebirdie



Series: AoS 2020 August AUs [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Space, Autistic Snowflake (Marvel), Donuts, F/F, Fluff, Gen, Sniper - Freeform, Snow + Piper
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:15:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25683406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bubblebirdie/pseuds/Bubblebirdie
Summary: In which Piper is an utterly useless lesbian barista who works at a coffeeshop in space, and Snowflake is devastatingly beautiful as always.
Relationships: Agent Davis (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) & Agent Piper, Agent Piper & Snowflake, Agent Piper/Snowflake, Jemma Simmons/Skye | Daisy Johnson, Kasius/Sinara (Marvel), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: AoS 2020 August AUs [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862377
Comments: 6
Kudos: 3
Collections: AOS AU August 2020





	To the Ends of the Universe and Back

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I would just like to say that I am not autistic. I have researched pretty much everything that I put in here, but if I've messed up anything- anything at all, please, please call me out on it.

Piper had been manning this post with her buddy Davis for long enough that nothing really tended to faze her. She’d survived a robbery by Asgardian outlaws- even made sure that all they got away with were Terran coffee beans; she’d been the only one who wasn’t enough of an idiot to eat the dumb alien puffies right before their supervisor came to check in making her pretty much the sole reason they were still running. So, when a humanoid brunette alien dragged in a Crepetolian the only thing that really bothered her was the smell.

“He’s only _mostly_ dead,” the short brunette shrugged a flopped down onto the bar stool closest to her.

“Hey, pretty,” she was twiddling with a knife as she spoke, focusing on the glint of the metal bouncing off the walls. Piper some how doubted that the phrase was unique to her, and that fact offended her beyond reason.

“What would you like to drink today?” the girl looked up, she had a cute nose, her eyes widening as she took in Piper’s presence. She put down her knife, moving her hands to her ears, and taking out a pair of earbuds that Piper hadn’t even noticed.

“Oh, sorry, I couldn’t hear you properly. I keep these in most of the time ‘cuz its loud everywhere,” she looked around the coffee shop, “but this is nice, I guess. You’re really pretty,” Despite what Davis would later say upon retelling the tale, Piper did not blush because Piper was not a useless lesbian.

“What would you like to drink?” Piper repeated.

“Drink? No thank you,” she turned away from Piper, focusing back on her knife. Her other hand was busy, twirling her short hair. It was a deep brown- nearly the same color as Piper’s, but it looked much more beautiful and becoming on her.

Piper was not speechless. It took a moment for her to gather her thoughts and form them into words. And Davis really needed to cut it out with the crude gestures in the background. She was gathering her thoughts for fuck’s sake.

“Well, you see you’re in a coffee shop-,”

“Coffee?” the girl interrupted.

“It’s a Terran drink made from the roasted and ground seeds of a plant containing a brain stimulant. Seeing as it isn’t on earth though, we have a variety of options for different species that do the job. Anyway, you have to order a drink or at least something to eat. You can’t hang around here doing nothing,” she shrugged, “We got to make money somehow,” The girl’s face fell.

“Oh,” she twirled her knife once more before tucking it away. “I guess that means I have to leave,” She slid of the stool, slowly exiting, her shoulders hunched. And Piper would’ve felt bad except, she left the body, which was completely dead by now, on their floor, so she didn’t sweat it.

*~*

“I don’t know- she was pretty cute,”

“Shut up Davis. What’ll your wife think,”

“….,”

“If you tell her, I swear to god- I will feed you your-,”

“Piper!”

“What?”

“There are children in here,”

“I’m sure it’s nothing they haven’t heard before- besides, human biology is different. They probably have different words for their junk,”

“… I mean you are into leather,”

“Davis, shut up about the girl already, “

*~*

The girl in question returned a few days, looking pretty much the same, barring a yellow silicone butterfly necklace and glittery black nail polish. She headed straight for the counter, pulling her earbuds out as she went.

“Hi!” a blinding smile was spread across her face, and she was tapping her nails against the table top quite cheerfully.

“Nice necklace,” Piper returned, rubbing her eyes sleepily. It had been a long morning.

“Could I get some coffee?” Piper raised an eyebrow. Somehow doubting that the little alien assassin would enjoy it. 

“Your wish is my command,” she yawned, heading into the back to fetch the drink. “Wait, could I get a name for that?” The girl was already settled at the counter with her knife out, chewing on her necklace, completely in her own world.

“Hey,” she knocked her hand against the girl’s, catching her attention, “could I get your name?”

“But I’ll be sitting right here…,” she swung her legs back and forth tilting her head at Piper.

“Just because, then,”

“Snowflake,” she fidgeted with her knife.

“Cool, so yeah, I’ll be back,” Piper gestured to the back of the shop, and then, hit herself for her stupid pun that she really hoped Snowflake hadn’t noticed. Okay, so maybe she was possibly a tiny bit of a useless lesbian. Luckily, she managed not to embarrass herself to much in her next interaction with Snowflake which solely consisted of delivering coffee to the woman.

It was only later on when the coffee shop had gotten less busy that anything really happened. The day was sluggish and hot, and nothing was actually happening seeing as most aliens thought they only sold warm drinks. (Or quite possibly there were people there that she was ignoring in favor of more enjoyable activities) She had eyes, and Snowflake was very attractive. She didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, it was just, watching her so carefree made Piper feel fuzzy inside.

“See something you like?” Snowflake felt her eyes on her, looking up to see the barista flushing a pale pink. 

“No, just free coffee going to waste,” the girl strode over, leaning over the counter to peer into the mug. Snow picked it up swirling the liquid inside around.

“I don’t like it- it’s too bitter,” Piper nudged the sugar towards Snowflake, but she shook her head. “I used it all already- can I have something else? Ooh, one of those sugary things- with the holes in them?”

“A donut,” Piper supplied.

“Yes please!” Snowflake tapped her nails on the counter. Piper had a few other orders to take, but she hurried into the back anyway- grabbing the sugariest one and wrapping it in parchment paper. When she returned, Snowflake was chewing on her necklace almost nervously.

“You know, you’re like a butterfly-,” 

“I’m sorry- I’ve got to go. The lady with the pink hair has been glaring at me for the last five minutes,” Piper handed her the donut, letting their hands touch for the briefest of seconds before shooting Snow an apologetic smile and hurrying off.

*~*

“Oh, you are so whipped,”

“Grow. Up. Davis,”

“Promise you’ll invite me to your wedding,”

“This conversation is over,”

“Piper! Piper!”

“….,”

“You wound me,”

“Suck it up cupcake,”

“And then, you just left her there!”

“Davis.”

“Suck it up cupcake- you really are a useless lesbian,” 

“You say like you’re not a disaster,”

“Yeah, a disaster who is married, but it’s fine. I’m sure you will be soon,”

“I really, really hate you,”

*~*

The day had started slowly and miserably, clouds rolling in from a nearby planet so that the only source of light was a tiny alien assassin with a donut addiction munching away on her sugar at the counter. Piper had already covered all the windows in the back, nailing the down the tarp in preparation. She could smell a headache a mile away- she hadn’t thought it would be the blue bastard currently ruining her life and her coffee shop.

“It is I, Kasius, come to grace your measly existence with my presence,” He just had to be one of _those_ ones, and he was letting in the storm too. Fantastic.

“That’s going to be a lot of trouble to clean up,” Snowflake rocked back and forth on her stool humming as she pointed at the slush, he was dragging in. It was a good thing she had her ear buds in because he was loud enough that she could probably hear him anyway. Piper kind of wished she had ear buds too because seriously, he needed to bring it down a few notches.

“Ahem,” Kasius had made his narcissistic way to the front; he was now flanked by a threatening blue lady who seemed to trying to glare Piper out of existence.

“How can I help you?” she straightened up, turning to face them, a cheesy, bright smile on her face- still watching Snowflake out of the corner of her eye. Her rocking had gotten more aggressive, and she was still staring at the door.

“I would like to purchase this establishment,” the lady next to him was giving her a look that seemed to say ‘give it to him or die’. But Piper didn’t find herself particularly easy to kill, so she had no problem refusing.

“It’s not for sale although you can always talk to my manager,” she squared her shoulders.

The blue lady was playing with some sort of weapon. She took a step forward and another one. Davis was quietly ushering customers out in the background. Piper swore she could hear villainous theme music playing (and honestly, she wouldn’t put it past these two). The blue dude, Kasius looked like he was about to throw a tantrum. Piper felt like she was watching some sort of reality TV show because he slid his hands slowly down the lapels of his outfit, took a deep breath, looked up at the ceiling, and then, touched the scary blue lady’s arm.

“How can we get in contact with your manager then?” and the scary blue lady stepped back, taking the fear factor down a notch. Piper slid her hands off her gun, she kept it under the counter for situations like these, and grabbed a piece of paper scribbling down their number.

“Thank you for your help,” Kasius smiled brightly and followed his girlfriend out. Piper sighed and turned to her companion, but she was gone.

*~*

“Do you think she’s okay?”

“Yes,”

“Davis!”

“I do. Something obviously agitated her, but I’m sure she’ll be fine,”

“What if she doesn’t come back?”

“She probably will,”

“You don’t know that,”

“Goddammit Piper! That girl obviously likes you,”

“You don’t know that,”

“Really? Do I need to call Jemma and have her make a PowerPoint presentation examining her every micro behavior?”

“No, no, you don’t. It’s fine. I’m sure she’ll come back,”

“That’s the spirit!”

“You know- I guess you’re not to bad,”

“We were bonding, and you just had to go and ruin it didn’t you,”

*~*

Piper would never admit it, but she’d forced Davis to make fresh donuts every day. And it had nothing to do with the fact that they sold well, but everything to do with the fact that she really missed Snowflake. Piper didn’t know much about disorders involving sensory overload, but she could tell that Snowflake had one or more. There was obviously something in the coffee shop, some noise or visual thing which wasn’t there before, that drove Snowflake away, so Piper cleaned the entire place, despite her hatred for the task and did her best to make it exactly like the day Snowflake first came in. But it wasn’t until the very end of the day that the leather wearing woman walked in. Davis had gone home already, so it was only Piper.

“Hi,” Snowflake looked down at the counter, tracing the lines of the marble with her eyes, and tapping her leg gently. She didn’t have her necklace on but was chewing bubble gum instead.

“Hey,” Piper pushed a plate with two cinnamon sugar donuts on it towards Snowflake before walking around the counter to sit next to her. The last few customers had pretty much cleared out now. They were just two shadows sitting in a coffee shop as the station their own turned away its star. Snowflake took out her earbuds and rolled them between her fingers. “You don’t need to talk or explain. All I wanted to say is that I am sorry that there was something in here that made you need to run away.”

Snowflake blinked at the donuts, tapping her foot gently against the stool, processing. Then, she jerked her head up so fast Piper thought she might’ve hurt herself.

“Yes,” she nodded vigorously, and Piper almost wanted to reach out and make her stay still. Instead, she listened. “My brain works differently than your brain or even the brains of other aliens of my species. So, that’s part of the reason I really like these donuts. I bet that they taste really sweet to you, but to me- it’s just the amount I need to feel good. I had a Terran friend who called it hyposensitivity. But for my hearing, its kind of the opposite. That’s why I wear earbuds. My friend, he called it- I don’t remember, honestly. It was a long time ago,” 

“How about touch?”

“It depends. I’m good with it most of the time. I like deep pressure though. Sometimes, I get upset if I don’t have it,” Snow shrugged. Piper wasn’t sure what to say, so she just offered Snowflake a donut. They sat there in silence, just eating their donuts. Snowflake was swinging her legs and humming, and Piper was thinking of ways to make the coffee shop more neurodiversity- friendly.

*~*

“So, do you think we can swing that?”

“I’ll call Jemma and Daisy right away,”

**Author's Note:**

> Did anyone notice the little cameo by a certain someone? :) I'm still getting the hang of writing Piper and Snow, so I'm sorry if their a little out of character. <3 The bit about Snow and donuts was inspired by  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/25645180/chapters/62256376 an awesome Sniper fic by Shadowcrawler and unwindmyself that you should totally go check out!


End file.
